1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display and illumination system.
2. Background Art
In conventional traffic signals, street lights, or display and illumination systems on high places such as high buildings, light sources are installed in parts to radiate the light from display units or illumination units. As light sources in these cases, lamps or fluorescent lights are normally used. Recently, the use of LEDs (light emitting diodes) having a longer life in place of lamps or fluorescent lights has also increased.
However, whichever of these light sources is used, when these lamps or LEDs, which are light sources, are blown out, the light sources must be replaced.
For display and illumination systems having the light sources of the display units or illumination units in a high place, such as traffic signals, the replacing operation must be carried out at the high place. For example, in the case of traffic signals, the replacing operation of the light sources must be carried out after limiting traffic, and is cumbersome and troublesome. Also for example, in the case where the light sources of illumination units are installed in a high place of an inner wall or ceiling, such as illumination apparatuses in tunnels or buildings, the replacing operation of the light sources must be carried out after limiting traffic lanes in the tunnels or limiting passages in the buildings, and is cumbersome and troublesome as in the case of traffic signals.
Furthermore, in illumination apparatuses such as head lamps and tail lamps installed in a motor vehicle, the light sources are generally assembled in the lamp houses where lamps or the like are installed. Therefore, since the replacing operation of the light sources must be carried out after disassembling the lamp houses from the outside or the inside of the motor vehicle, this is also a cumbersome and troublesome operation.
Therefore, in conventional display and illumination systems, there has been known a system equipped with a light source for outputting laser beams, a surface emitting section for planerly spreading and emitting the light emitted from the light source, and optical fibers for guiding light from the light source to the surface emitting section (for example, refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-265960). Since such a display and illumination system can install the light source and the light emitting section (the display unit and the illumination unit) in separate positions, maintenance operations such as the replacement of the light source can be facilitated.
Furthermore, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-265960, there has also been known an example of guiding light emitted from a light source using optical fibers, while using LEDs as the light source (for example, refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-071870). What is described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-071870 is equipped with a semiconductor light emitting element, such as an LED, optical fibers extending to the illumination location (illumination unit), and an optical connector optically connecting one end of optical fibers to the semiconductor light emitting element. In such a display and illumination system, as in that described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-265960, the light source and the light emitting section (the display unit and the illumination unit) can be installed on separate positions, maintenance operations such as the replacement of the light source can be facilitated.